passion, raising her need even as his cock fulfilled it.
Then he came, his cream boiling into her, driving more cries from her, and raising her to a climax that was fierce in its intensity. Her body clamped against his, as though by staying close to him she could keep the pleasure longer, hold it to her flesh with his body.
Then the lights went off for Max, and he could tell that they had gone off for Connie as well, and she was all over him, her arms and legs and hands, her flesh slick with the sweat of passion. They hit the peak together, and it was as powerful as any orgasm he'd ever known.
'Now, was that such a distasteful experience?' Max asked after a while. She didn't answer him. He sat up and leaned over her and pinched one pink nipple, hard. She squealed and tried to pull away, but he held to the nipple until she stopped struggling. 'I asked you a question, bitch,' he reminded her. 'Was it so distasteful?'
'All right, I liked it,' she admitted. 'Was that what you wanted me to say?'
'That's an understatement, baby.'
'Yes. That's an understatement. I more than liked it. You made me like it, when I wanted to hate it. All right?'
'I don't think I like your tone of voice, honey. I think maybe you're in need of a lesson in manners.'
She blanched. 'No, please. I'm sorry, Max. I didn't mean anything, honestly. You're right, I did like it. And I was mad at myself for that. That's why I got nasty. I won't let it happen again.'
'You'd better not, honey. Or you'll find out what it feels like to hang by your toes from the ceiling for a few hours.'
That was a word picture that got to her. She lost the forced smile for a moment, then managed to restore it.
'That won't be necessary, Max. I'll be good. I'll do whatever you want, and I'll be respectful about it. You don't have to hurt me, honestly.'
'Saying it is fine, baby. But it's actions that interest me. I haven't seen anything so far that's led me to believe you're going to be good.'
She panicked a little. 'Max, I'm sorry about before. I mean the escape attempt. That was stupid of me. And killing your friend, too. But I wasn't in my right mind. I was in a state of shock, Max. That's the truth. The first thing I remember since the first time Butch — had me — was when I fired that shotgun.'
'Uh-huh. Well, I'm not too tickled with you, sweetheart. You or your buddy in there. She wasn't in any state of shock. She tried to kill me, you know. She's lucky I didn't blow her in two.'
'Yes, she is. That's right. She shouldn't have done that.'
Max found it amusing to see how quickly the little twat turned on her friend. Just as Julie had turned on both of them. Julie had reacted to threat, though, and Connie was reacting to hope. Hope could bring fear, Max knew. A person who has given up hope often gives up fear as well. There had been a time in stir when he had given up hope. He had considered himself a dead man, and he had forgotten to be frightened. Then, when the escape plan had occurred to him, it had been frightening again. He realized now what a smart thing he had done in giving Connie this little thread of hope. It would cow her more effectively than despair had done. And cowed she was all too willing to turn against Sally. If the two girls had any chance of surviving at all it lay in sticking together. Together the two of them had almost escaped. If it hadn't been for Julie, they probably would have. Now he had split them.
'I don't know,' Max said. 'I might be willing to trust you a little, but I don't think I could ever trust her. She's too fucking smart for her own good.'
'But Julie said…' She cut herself off, as though realizing that she had started to say something she shouldn't have.
'Julie said what?' Max pretended suspicion. Actually, of course, he knew damned well what Julie had said.
'Oh, nothing, Max. Noth…'
Max grabbed her arm and pulled her close. He was good and rough about it, carrying on the pretense of not knowing what she was hiding.
'Don't give me that shit! Now, I said I was willing to trust you a little, and I am. But this kind of thing isn't going to help any.'
'I'm sorry. It was when we were in the bathroom. Julie said you weren't going to kill us. Any of us. She said you said…'
'So she opened her Goddamn mouth, huh? I should have known better than to tell her anything.'
'You didn't want us to know you were going to let us live?'
'I haven't decided for sure that I am going to let you live. It all depends on you. No, I didn't want you to know about it, though. I didn't want you to know you could pull something like you pulled before and get away with it. And maybe you can't. As I said, it all depends on how you conduct yourselves from now on. But frankly, I don't think the chances are too good for your friend, Sally. As I said, she tried to kill me. And she knew just what she was doing. She doesn't have the excuse you had.'
'What about me?'
'I don't see why I should kill you. Not if you really are a good girl from now on. As I said, it depends on you.'
She looked so relieved Max almost felt like laughing aloud. 'Oh, I'll be good. Honestly. I will!'
'You say Julie told Sally about what I said, too?'
'Yes. She told both of us.'
'Okay. Maybe it isn't such a bad thing after all. You play along with it. You understand? You let Sally think she has the same chance of living as the rest of you. Okay?'
'Oh, sure. Sure, Max. I'll play along.'
'Okay. If you'll do that, and be a good girl in all other respects, too, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't live to be a grandmother.'
'Oh, thank you, Max. I'll do whatever you…'
'Suck me off,' Max said. He had a hard-on already. The little game had turned him on. He felt the pleasure of power now, absolute power over Connie and the others, but most immediately over Connie. She was his now. And as long as he wanted to fool her he could keep her jumping through his hoops.
'What, Max?' she asked, probably too surprised by the change of subject to realize what he had said.
'You heard, honey. Suck my cock. Now.' He looked her straight in the eye as he repeated the command. She licked her lips with a pink tongue, looked him in the eye waveringly for a moment, then quickly lowered herself to the level of his abdomen.
Max lay back on the bed with his hands folded under his head. He felt slender fingers pick up his cock, felt a warm, soft tongue begin to move over the head.
It was a great set-up.
Chapter Eleven
Julie was given the task of taking Jim's food to him and feeding him. The meat and potatoes were cut on the plate before she was allowed to take it from the kitchen, and then Pete went in and sat across the room from them while she fed Jim. She felt heartsick at the humiliation Jim must be going through, having to be fed by his wife while someone sat and watched the process. She tried to hold her robe closed at first, but it was no use. She couldn't hold the plate and feed the food to Jim and stay covered, too. He looked at her, and his eyes seemed dead. He made no protest against being fed, but he didn't seem to enjoy the meal, either. He just sat and ate what was given to him. From time to time Julie would hold the cup of coffee to his lips, and he would sip from it.
Through all this, Pete sat staring at them, cleaning his nails with a steak knife he had taken from the kitchen. He had taken to carrying the knife in addition to the rifle. Max had switched the rifle to him in return for the shotgun. When the plate was empty, he got up and walked forward.
'You can leave the plate here for now,' he said. 'Get it later.' He bent down and examined Jim's bonds, grunted with satisfaction. 'You and I are going into the bedroom for a little while right now. It's fun-and-games
